O’Reilly reveals awful injury that he suffered through for entire postseason

St. Louis Blues forward Ryan O’Reilly secured his place in the record books last night with another incredible performance in the Stanley Cup Final. The gritty, but skilled center scored the game’s opening goal and would go on to capture the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

In scoring the game opener, O’Reilly joined some rarified air, becoming the first play to score a goal in four consecutive Stanley Cup Finals games since Wayne Gretzky did with the Edmonton Oilers in 1985.

#STLBlues Ryan O'Reilly is the first player to score a goal in 4 straight #StanleyCup Final games since Wayne Gretzky in 1985
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) June 13, 2019

Not bad, Ryan. Not bad at all.

What’s even more impressive is that O’Reilly was reportedly suffering through a case of cracked ribs throughout the entire postseason. Say what!?!?!

Check it out:

Lost in shuffle last night was Ryan O'Reilly admitting he was playing with a cracked rib in the playoffs. Something happened in the series vs. Winnipeg, then damaged more in Dallas series, then he got "bumped again" in San Jose series but extra rest leading to Cup helped a lot.
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) June 13, 2019

Ryan O’Reilly’s dad confirms what we had a hint of. His son was playing with damaged ribs. Said cracked but perhaps just bruised severely. Happened in Winnipeg and he got better as postseason went along. Nuts.
— Ben Frederickson (@Ben_Fred) June 13, 2019

Ryan O'Reilly reveals he's been playing with a cracked rib since the second round. ? pic.twitter.com/nAmmPHgGZt
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) June 13, 2019

Wow… that might be the most impressive thing about O’Reilly’s entire postseason. If you’ve ever had cracked ribs before you know that it’s difficult to just breathe normally, let alone play hockey.

What a warrior. That Conn Smythe win is well, well deserved.